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Sandbox/Mikaeans/I
The Mikaeans, also known as the Mikaegeny, are a near-human species native to the continent of Mikaea in the southern . Biology Physiology Psychology Culture and society Religion The Mikaeans are a highly devout species, with their religion echoing rather precisely everything that the Mikaeans understand about life and death, and myth of creation which they adhere to. Practically everything in Mikaean society is driven by their religious devotion, and in many way, it can be said that the Mikaegeny is a theocracy governed as a patrimony. For the race, everything in life mirrors their religion rather precisely, giving weigh to the beliefs and superstitions of the Mikaeans. All members of the Mikaean population believe in a single religion, an oddity that makes the species stand apart from the surrounding human nations and cultures. This religion, known as Mikaeanism, revolves around the concept of an oversoul and a physical manifestation of that oversoul within the body of a single indiviual on the earth, the Highfather. Indeed, no discussion regarding the Mikaeans and their religion is complete without first addressing the leader and father of all Mikaeans in the nation, the Highfather of the Mikaegeny. The Mikaeans are unique in that they do not believe in an abstract, metaphysical god with omnipresent capabilities, but a physical, mortal one; the Highfather. The Highfather is the center of all Mikaean worship, as well as their civilization as a whole. The Mikaeans believe that their father is eternal, with his personal name and life-force passing from father to son, and a part of that life-force shared with each child of the Highfather. Because of his role, the Highfather has the universal right to control every aspect of the Mikaeans' lives, and with the psychological traits of the species, the Mikaeans willingly permit this level of control over themselves by their father. As such, all living Mikaeans live because their father imparted that life-force upon them as a gift. In the eyes of the worshipful Mikaeans are nothing more than shells that exist by the will of the Highfather, and live and die as he deems fit. He gives birth to them, guides them as a people, and trains them in the way he deems fit at the time being. The Mikaeans do not care that their father is a mortal being, but that his life and energy pass between himself and the heir to his empire, whom the Mikaeans view as the reincarnated soul of the previous Highfather. As such, he is effectively "immortal", with all his memories, traits, and personality inherited via genetic memory by the son. This genetic memory, unique to the Highfather and his son, shape both the future Highfather, as well as all the children he will have, as many of his traits will surface within his daughters. The Mikaeans regard this cycle as a spiritual influence in which the oversoul all Mikaeans are apart of through its avatar, the Highfather, who continuously channels the collectively thoughts, memories, personality, traits, and ideals into his offspring, who make up the entirety of the species. The spiritual unity of the Mikaeans is solidified by the will of their physical god and father, and drives the species as a whole, which in turn at the time of their deaths, return to the oversoul to be reborn in the next spawning of Mikaeans. Emblematic of the Mikaean reproductive cycle, the interconnection between life and religion for the race, makes religion incomprehensible to doubt, and impossible separate from the rest of the society for the average Mikaean. Value of life No discussion of the Mikaeans is complete without touching upon the topic of their view of life and its value. The Mikaeans as a species view life as cheap and disposable, easily replaced by their leaders. The origin of this extreme belief can be linked to a single truth in the distinct biology of the Mikaeans. What takes a pair of humans nine months to produce and eighteen years to raise and nurture into adulthood, takes a single Mikaean three months to produce and seven years to raise to maturity by the millions. Within the time-frame it takes a human female to give birth to a single infant, a Mikaean male has spawned one million fertile eggs on three separate occasions each. Likewise, within the same period it took a human couple to raise a single child into adulthood, took an institution of Mikaeans to raise three generations of youth into adults. By the end of the process, within the time it took a human to be conceived and raised from infant to adult, three million Mikaeans were born to a single male Mikaean, and raised to adulthood within a third of the time. Likewise, within the ninety year lifespan of a human, three generations of Mikaeans have lived full lives and died. A Mikaean life is by all metrics a cheap and expendable one, an unavoidable fact of nature and biology that the Mikaeans themselves has acknowledged as a single part of their life-cycle. A human life is unique, in that each one's childhood, experiences, personality, and life goals are different; no one human being the same in thought, nature, or appearance. A Mikaean on the otherhand is a template of her father's personality and motives, living a life assigned to her and having nothing to her name other than the rations and clothing designated to her. She will have the same face as her sisters, share the same personality as her sisters, and will have the same life goals as her sisters depending upon the caste she is given too. And in the end, she will do everything in her life for the same reason as her sisters: because her father demands it. No thought of hers is unique or special, and her life is just as short and interchangeable as the rest of her sisters. Any individual Mikaean could die and her entire life summed up by another Mikaean who will have the same personality, traits, and life goals she had or would ever have. Mikaeans all live and die for the same reasons and strive to fulfill the same end-goal; that is to advance the needs of the house and the glory of their father. Anything else is literally inconceivable, and the idea of having a unique thought beyond that of their father's is blasphemy of the greatest order. They live because their father willed it to be so, and they die at the wish or whim of their father. The sheer level of apathy toward individual life and liberties is quite difficult for a human being to understand, and that is what makes the Mikaeans as a civilization as dangerous as it is. Each and every Mikaean will die for any cause their father fancies at the time it enters his head, as entire generations of Mikaeans can easily be replaced within the lifespan of a human being. The simple reality is that no number of Mikaeans would equal the sum value of a human life, and the Mikaeans themselves are very well aware of that reality. They are all born with the innate understanding of their individual disposibility, have never had to come to peace with that as they instinctually never had to in the first place. Government Leadership *'High Father:' **'Lord Archon:' The Lord Archon is the deputy to the High Father, supporting him as an courier of sorts in passing on his policies to the various branches of government. He heads the upper house of the Congress of Scions, known as the Assembly of First Sons, as advises Executor of decisions made by the Patronic Council on an unofficial basis. Likewise, the Lord Archon in his free time also consults with the Chancellor to convey the wishes of the households, such as their preferred voting patterns and desired legislative decisions. In this function, the Lord Archon is regarded as the link between the High Father and the Congress of Scions, and helps the High Father circumvent the Executor when needed to get his preferred legislation down to the Chancellor without having to go through either the Patronic Council or the executive branch of government. The Lord Archon is selected by the High Father from amongst 31 candidates presented to him by the Patronic Council from its members sons. So as to limit the influence of the High Father, his sons are not permitted to serve as Lord Archon. Given his various roles, the Lord Archon is widely considered one of the most powerful individuals in the Mikaegeny. *'Patronic Council:' The Patronic Council is responsible for advising the High Father on matters of government, and representing the views of the households in the government. The council consists of 32 members, all of whom are the High Patrons of the various households of the Mikaegeny, plus the High Father himself. The High Father is elected by the members of the council from amongst their own, with the victor becoming the new High Father and his eldest son replacing him on the council. The Patronic Council vets all Mikaeans seeking to enter the higher levels of government, namely, the Congress of Scions and the various branches of government. All major decisions made by either the High Father or the Congress of Scions, must be approved by the Patronic Council. Executive *'Executor:' The Executor of the Mikaegeny is the head of government and the de facto leader of the country. She is, as her title suggests, responsible for executing the will of the High Father as per the policies outlined by the mandate he provides to her. The Executor is free to use whatever resources she has at her disposal to accomplish her mandate, and may appoint whoever she deems fit to aid her in that task to her Advisory Council so long as they are vetted and approved by the Patronic Council. The Executor is directly-elected by the population, after being vetted and approved by the Patronic Council. She is later interviewed by the High Father to debrief her on his desired policies, though she is only fully informed of his true intentions once she is elected. As with the majority of political offices, the Executor is female, as all the male Mikaeans are tasked with other important duties preventing them from serving in the position. **'Deputy Executor:' **'Advisory Council:' Legislative *'Chancellor:' The Chancellor of the Mikaegeny is the leader of the Congress of Scions and its lower house, the Assembly of Matrons, where her power is derived. She is responsible for breaking ties in the Assembly of Matrons, serving the the 289th vote in the assembly, and presides over all legislative functions in Congress. The Chancellor is likewise responsible for censuring members of her assembly, consulting with the Lord Archon of the upper house of Congress, and delivering the voted upon legislation to the Patronic Council to vet and sign off on as legitimate. The Chancellor is regarded as the leader of the legislative branch for two main reasons. The first being that in her position as an elected, rather than appointed official, she has greater moral legitimacy as the leader of the law-passing body of the government. The second reason is that in his position as the deputy to the High Father, the Lord Archon is more tied to the needs of the leadership than the legislative, which is further compounded by the fact that the Assembly of First Sons has little say in legislative matters aside from confirming the votes of the lower house. *'Congress of Scions:' The Congress of Scions is the legislative branch of the Mikaean government, consisting of 384 members, including two additional members, these being the Chancellor and Lord Archon, who both oversee the two bodies of Congress. The Chancellor is regarded as the leader of Congress as a whole, given her elected status and role as the overall representative of the will of the people. The Congress votes on laws, budgets, confirms declarations of war and the signing of peace treaties, and staff councils of various roles which investigate policies and procedures as required. **'Assembly of First Sons:' The Assembly of First Sons is made up of 96 members, all of whom are appointed by the individual members of the Patronic Council. The First Sons are responsible for signing off on legislation voted on by the Assembly of Matrons, serving as the upper house of the Congress. The body is made up entirely of male Mikaeans, who are all handpicked by their fathers on the Patronic Council to represent their household's political interests within the government. The councilors of the First Sons have no set term limit, serving at the pleasure of their individual High Patrons. Each house is entitled three seats in the assembly, ensuring that all are equally represented in the Congress' upper house. The leader of the assembly is the Lord Archon, who serves as the deputy to the High Father. The Lord Archon is appointed from a group of 31 sons of the various High Patrons, with the sons of the High Father himself excluded from the pool of candidates as a restriction of his influence in the Congress. **'Assembly of Matrons:' The Assembly of Matrons consists of 288 members, who are directly-elected by their constituents in line with the constitution of the Mikaegeny. The assembly serves as the lower house to the Congress, and is responsible for voting on new laws, budgets, and government policies. The body is made up exclusively of female Mikaeans, who are led by the Chancellor in the Assembly of Matrons. Matronic councilors serve a term of five years, which are staggered so that a fifth of all councilors are up for election every fifth year. The vetting period lasts for six months beginning at the start the fifth year, with campaigning allotted to a period of five months following the vetting period, and the election taking place on the final month of the year. This gives the Patronic Council enough time to vet all potential candidates, as well as enough time for the candidates to establish their platforms, campaign, and have the voters get to know them. At the end of the year, all councilors who failed to hold their seats vacate their offices, and the newly elected councilors are sworn in the next day. Factsheet Biology Physiology *Mikaeans typically stand about 5'4" to 5'10" (162.5–177.8 cm) in height and weigh about 100–135 lbs (45.3–61.2 kg) *Males live for about 300 years and females for about 30 years; though the lifespan increases considerably in modern conditions *Females physically stronger than adult human or Mikaean man at average peak strength, though they are considerable smaller and lighter *Mikaeans are mostly muscle mass, with body fat never comprising more than 10% on men and 15% on women *Males produce all offspring in the species via spawning, with a single male capable of having ten million surviving offspring per year *Males spawn using two organs known as the paragus (Greek for "producer") and cunabula (Latin for "cradle") **Paragus converts sperm cells into tadpole-like egg cells at a rate of 648 million a day **Cunabula houses all fertilized egg cells in a dormant state until spawning occurs (up to 250 billion egg cells) *Only "Highfather" male can spawn other males; all others can only spawn females **The Highfather is by default the leader of the entire Mikaean species, with all males and their daughters the offspring of the Highfather **The Highfather, in the eyes of his offspring, is practically immortal, the only father most have or will ever know *Mikaeans share physical features as fathers simply copy genes from prior generations, giving Mikaeans limited gene pool *Females lack reproductive organs, such as the uterus and ovaries, and only possess a vagina and vaginal canal *Females possess phallus located within the vaginal opening than may be extended or retracted at will, and can become erect during times of sexual desire if extended *Mikaeans expel waste in liquid form given the lack of large intestines, rather possessing enlarged bladder to compensate *Mikaeans have an efficient digestive system which permits them to go periods without eating for about a month, allowing them to conserve limited supplies of food *Mikaean females have proportionately larger and more muscular thighs than human females, and overall appear more "sexualized" by human physical standards *Mikaean females possess twice the muscle density of Mikaean males, who are about as strong as human males in peak physical condition or Olympic-level standards *Female Mikaeans possess far more muscular bodies that male Mikaeans or humans in general, with most of the muscle concentrated in the lower body Psychology *Mikaeans typically share the same traits and personality within the same household (such as likes and dislikes, ideals, personality quirks, etc.) *Mikaeans absolutely loyal to their patriarchs, obeying their demands even up to and including death *Males generally independently-minded; females generally submissive to males, often to the point of obsession *Members of the species perform poorly on their own and live communally, with as many as 10-15 Mikaeans sleeping in a bedroom as an example *Mikaeans do not mourn the dead, viewing themselves as replaceable and ephemeral as the rain (useful in numbers, useless individually) *Patriarchs emotionally detached from the death of their daughters, willing to let them die as they can always have millions more as replacements *Mikaeans believe that the soul of a dead Mikaean becomes a star and their life force returns to their father *Mikaeans are quick learners, typically allowing vast numbers of their own to die to learn what not to do wrong *Though passive at times, Mikaeans can immediately become enraged and unreasonable if insulted, and hold grudges for years *The concept of privacy does not process well in Mikaean minds, with most violating personal space and boundaries, and blatantly ignoring consent *Male Mikaeans have an IQ range between 100-120, while the vastly numerous female population has an IQ range of 60-70 Society and culture Family *Mikaeans divided into households; consisting of a patriarch and his sons, and all of their tens of millions of daughters collectively **Households consist of tens of millions of individuals, always with one patriarch, 50-150 archons, and anywhere from 25-100 million daughters **The largest households consist of thousands of archons and hundreds of millions of daughters, and are always led by the oldest patriarchs on the planet **Households serve as the Mikaean equivalent of the nation-state, with all state institutions managed by Mikaeans born to the patriarch of the household **At the death of a patriarch, the eldest son becomes the new de facto patriarch, though the dynamics of the household mean civil war is unavoidable **Succession wars are commonplace within Mikaean households, with a new patriarch killing off his brothers to cement his power **Because of the nature of succession wars, the new patriarch following the conflict is not always the eldest son of the prior patriarch *Cliques consist of several dozen coteries, and serve as a method of managing the vast number of coteries within a household **Cliques are governed by a council of guardians elected by an assembly of coterie keepers and wards from a list of volunteers **Cliques typically consist of 50-80 coteries and are often grouped into blocks within a city for administrative purposes **The membership for the clique guardian council consists of seven members elected to two-year terms and generally cycled to represent all cliques **Cliques answer to the archons of their cities, with each clique sending a representative from the council to seat in the archon's assembly council **The number of cliques under typically varies based on the size of the city he oversees, with the average city having about 400-500 cliques *The smallest familial unit is known as a coterie, which typically consists of 15-25 members which forms the Mikaean equivalent of a family **A coterie is presided over by a guardian, who is usually the eldest member of the group, who commands the respect and obedience of her coterie **Keepers are generally the eldest members of a coterie after the guardian, who assist the guardian in managing affairs and looking after the wards **Wards are the youngest and most numerous members of a coterie, who have no leadership role in the coterie and are under the care of the guardian **Coteries are formed by the crèches of a city, who elect members of the population to serve a guardians over the new coteries **Guardians select keepers from among their peers, who they deem responsible and trustworthy in assisting them raise the offspring of the patriarch **Wards are assigned to coteries by house bureaucrats, who exam the coterie and determine how many wards will be assigned to the guardian **The role of guardian is permanent, and removed by the household if there is enough outcry over her performance as the head of a coterie Morals and taboos *There is no concept of privacy as all Mikaeans belong to the same family, and everything belongs to the patriarch, there are no true boundaries between them *There is no fear of death for the Mikaeans as they understand on an instinctive level their disposablility and accept it as a fact of life *It is considered sinful to speak to or approach a male Mikaean without his permission, and coming into contact with him is considered a major faux pas *Defacing the image of the patriarch of a household is considered blasphemous and punished accordingly, typically by skinning the individual in question *Disobeying a patriarch or an archon is considered on par with blasphemy of the highest order, and the offender immediately hung by the population *Murdering a fellow Mikaean within the same household is considered a grave sin, and the punishment is typically impalement outside of the city walls *The color white is regarded as the color of corruption and evil, and thus Mikaeans will avoid wearing white-colored garments or using white-colored items *Black is viewed as the color of holiness and purity, and features as the main color of all clothing worn by Mikaeans, and the main color of their buildings *Violent fights are considered normal, as "kids will be kids" mentality allows for it, though warriors will step in to prevent potential fatalities Customs and etiquette *Greetings between men take form in a handshake, pulling one another into each other's chest, and patting each other on the back with their free hand *Clothing as a form of protection from the elements outside, and thus consider it somewhat improper to needlessly wear clothing inside if not soon leaving *Males are expected to remain out of sight and out of touch, serviced by their female servants, as they are deemed sacred portals of life *Females typically wear nothing when at home or when not travelling far from home, preferring to maintain clothing they have as they need it *Modesty and privacy never truly developed in Mikaean society, with the concept of both being unknown and poorly understood by the Mikaeans *Personal space does not exist between Mikaean, and cannot understand the idea of boundaries between people, and often invade the space of others unknowingly *Secrets within households are considered wildly offensive and the idea of keeping something hidden from a sister or a brother is unheard of *Mikaeans sleep together in large sleeping quarters, with as many as 20-30 people within a small space, both to conserve space and keep warm during the night *Mikaeans bond physically through the act of chaidema (Greek: Σίδερα, cháidema meaning "petting"), which is caressing, rubbing, and fondling the other **The act of chaidema releases incredibly high levels of dopamine and oxytocin in Mikaeans, and is partially responsible for the internal strength of their households **''Chaidema'' differs from human sexual interactions in that it is not sexual in nature and entirely based on affection and admiration between Mikaeans **Male Mikaeans will not allow those whom they have not approved to come into physical contact with them, and doing so uninvited is deemed extremely offensive **Female Mikaeans will immediately attempt to establish physical contact, grabbing or touching an individual and maintaining the act of chaidema for the duration of the interaction **Depending on position and ease of access, all points of the body will be subjected to chaidema by a Mikaean as a sign of respect and affection **It is considered deeply insulting or offensive to avoid physical contact with a fellow Mikaean, often insulting the coterie or even the clique if severe enough **Females may often hold another forcefully to prevent them from leaving until the act of chaidema is complete as show of force, or force them-self upon the other to prevent movement **''Chaidema'' may often be used to demonstrate power over another female in place of raw violence, and is typical when first establishing hierarchies of authority **Though Mikaean females capable of performing or receiving intercourse, chaidema believed to serve as a possible surrogate, though not a total replacement Sexuality *Romance does not exist within Mikaean society or culture, with most Mikaeans viewing acts of passion between humans as discomforting and awkward *Mikaean men are not driven or controlled by sex, viewing the act as something they can perform at anytime they wish given their literal ownership of all female Mikaeans *Mikaean men are not enticed by female sexuality as a ploy, and will ignore attempts to sway them or appeal to their sexual desires *Mikaean women can be intimately aggressively and sexually frustrated, viewing sex as a right rather than a privilege and will take offense at being denied *Sexual activities between females is neither emotional nor romantic in nature, serving a purely sexual function, with fellow females serving as willing or unwilling surrogates for males *Female Mikaeans view sex with other females as a necessary evil to serve as outlets for their lust for men, and typically view same-sex activities as repugnant and unnatural *Sexual intercourse between females may devolve into violence as the dominate individual may bite, scratch, or punch the submission individual out of anger for not having a male to be with *Male Mikaeans use sex with them as a reward and mechanism for keeping their females under control, and separate male children from females to protect them from kidnapping and rape *Mikaeans view all sex as expression of power, and thus those initiating it and remaining in a dominant position are deemed more powerful than those in the submissive position outside of intercourse *The concept of consenting to sexual activities is unknown to the Mikaeans, who will simply begin to engage in physical groping or forced penetration without express consent *Resisting sexual advances almost always results in violence as the concept of consent is poorly understood by Mikaeans, who will violently force a sexual encounter if defied *There is no age of consent in Mikaean society, and sexual encounters can and do take place at virtually all stages of life, though existence of crèches prevents rampant pedophilia *Rape is considered an act of power and entertainment by Mikaeans, who will rape younger members of a coterie or members of other households as an expression of power and domination *Gang-rape is prevalent throughout Family Pride as a communal activity, involving prisoners, unfortunate youth, and cousins from other households, and can last for hours or even days *There is no honor or sympathy for a victim of rape, whose status may even be lowered as a result; Mikaeans the rapist as superior and having established dominance and thus free of any guilt *Rape is often utilized as a method of gaining social power and influence with a successful rapist proving her physical strength and fortitude, and gaining respect for her actions *Because of the parity of strength between females, rape is considered an test of power, with the victor being the one who physically overwhelms, restricts, and controls the other for the entire duration *Mikaean females lust after other individuals for sexual gratification, and have no love for them as people; if needed, they will seek out and rape the individual to fulfill that lust Dress and grooming *Mikaean men wear warm wool clothing, with jackets baggy from the shoulder to the elbows, and fitted from the forearm down to the hands; trousers are baggy from the knees up to the waist, and fitted from the knees down to the ankles; only males known to wear proper shoes by human standards *Female Mikaeans wear common garb known as quadra (Latin for "square"), which is a diamond-shaped clothe that ties at the neck and at the lower back, with the pointed end at the front falling just over the pelvis, leaving the arms, legs, back, and buttocks exposed; females wear footwear if needed but typically go without *Mikaeans keep their hair in its natural form, while grooming it and maintaining its health; men keep facial hair as a sign of maturity and virility *Females will not remove pubic hair as they regard it as a sign of their femininity and sexual appeal, grooming as required but retaining it entirely *Mikaean males will always dress professionally, and avoid showing off skin in public areas; it is considered in poor taste for a male to dress down *Females will almost always dress down to the point of appearing indecent, looking to impress and attract attention as well as one-up their sisters at times *Mikaeans will always wear black or dark grey clothing no matter what the occasion they may be dressing may call upon *Mikaeans in modern settings will typically wear clothing which suits the cool, damp weather of their homeworld, such as form-fitting sweaters with rolled necks, or wool outfits for warmth *Mikaean men more or less dress the same with regards to clothing, wearing suits with no tie or dress shirt, but a turtleneck sweater over an undershirt, and a blazer over it *Female Mikaeans prefer short, open, or provocative clothing as their main form of attire, and are not fond of anything which covers up their femininity **Crop tops, fitted sweaters, long dress shirts by themselves, shrugs, and short jackets are preferred upper-body clothing by Mikaean females **Female Mikaeans typically wear short, pleated skirts, form-fitting leggings, thigh-highs, stockings, and short summer dresses for their bottom clothing **Females will wear sweaters alone or as a short sweater dress, and knit thigh-highs with simple patterns on them for formal occasions **Open-toe lace shoes and wedges are by and far the most preferred footwear of females for their comfort and suitability in the humid weather Religion *The Mikaeans adhere to a monotheistic religion which teachs the doctrines of a primordial deity known as the Empyrean All-Father who knows and see all *Mikaeans believe that the souls of good Mikaeans become celestial bodies, while the souls wicked Mikaeans become droplets of rain that are trampled upon *Mikaeans believe that all of the men in their species contain shards of the All-Father embedded in mortal life to watch over and guide his children *Because of the belief that the patriarchs of the race are avatar of the All-Father, the Mikaeans worship their fathers and religiously obey any command given *Mikaeans believe their religion is a living one, and thus there is no codified text with the exception of rules regulating traditions and ceremonies *Patriarchs do not add to the religious laws of their people even though they could, believing that they serve only as custodians of religion, not architects *The concept of godlessness or atheism does not exist in society, and the Mikaean mind cannot process the idea, with Mikaeans failing to grasp atheism even on an elementary level *Only Mikaeans with the "Mark of the Father" (green eyes and paler skin) are permitted to join the clergy; only 1% of all births Military *Mikaean military units are made up of entire coteries, with guardians serving as commanders and keepers as subordinate officers in the unit *Larger military units consist of entire cliques devoted to military life, and are subdivided into coteries which entered with the clique as a whole *Service within the military forces of the household is for life, typically a period of twenty years from the age of majority (at ten years of age) *Mikaean soldiers are typically armed with warbrands, straight swords, spears with long, flat blades, round shields, and compound bows and arrows **Mikaean armor, known as sidera (Greek: Σίδερα, sídera meaning "irons"), is the main form of protection worn by all Mikaean soldiers in battle ***The neck is protected by a wool, mail, and plate armor wrap which connects to the capelets beneath it, preventing decapitation in battle ***The upper body is protected by two armored capelets made of mail, leather, and lenth of segmented plate armor over the middle of the capelet down the arms ***A studded leather strap over the breasts and back provides limited protection, though most Mikaeans simply do not wear it citing comfort issues ***A bodice made of segmented plate armor, mail, and leather from top to bottom layer, seats below the breasts and fastens at the back ***Arms protected by detatched sleeves made of mail and held in place by leather straps on upperarm; hands protected by fingerless leather gloves and bracers ***The hips and thighs are protected by a mail and leather skirts around the four segments, with the front piece overlayed with plate armor ***The legs are protected by mail and wool leggings, which are connected to the rest of the armor by leather garters linked to the armored bodice ***The boots of the armor are made of leather with plate armor over the front over mail, and are heavy-soled and studded beneath the hobnails for marching *The heavily industrialization of Mikaean cities allows for the ability to produce large amounts of armor and weaponry, and enough food for large armies *The centralized nature of Mikaean society, vast population, and fertility of the lands means that the patriarchs can field huge armies with little effort *Households follow a "ten-percent" rule, meaning that all territories within their lands must contribute 10% of their population to an ongoing war effort *Cities with 100,000 residents must send 10,000 residents off as soldiers or load bearers carrying food, weapons, armor, and equipment for the armies *As the average "small" city hosts more than half a million residents, even the smallest Mikaean households on the planet may field 100,000-strong armies *The laws of warfare within Mikaean soldier allows for absolutely brutal behavior and widespread atrocities due to overpopulation on the planet and need for resources **The Mikaeans view all conflict as total war, with civilian casualties a major − if not primary − objective during conflicts between households **Soldiers do not see distinction between combatant and non-combatant, and all Mikaeans not of their house are killed equally by the soldiers **The concept of mercy does not exist within Mikaean society or military doctrine, and those who surrender are simply regarded as easier to kill **Killing the males of the opposing household is typically the main goal of a war, so as strip the opponent of their manpower and primary leadership **When fighting within the same household, killing or castrating a male of the same father is regarded as a war crime on par with genocide Economy *Because of its relative scarcity compared to the number of Mikaeans, quantities of rice is considered legal tender across Family Pride *The Mikaean variant of rice, known as Mikaean winter rice, can survive in the cool, waterlogged regions of Family Pride and grows within two or three months *All food production is considered state property, with staple foods horded and rationed out by the household, and luxury foods allowed to be grown and sold for extra food rations *Patriarchs pay for bulk items such as iron in daughters if they lack gold or silver, with a female Mikaean worth a month's worth of rice for one individual *Patriarchs and archons want for nothing and pay for nothing, as everything produced by the Mikaeans belongs to their fathers and brothers *Jobs are assigned to Mikaeans based on the clique and coterie they belong to, the a Mikaean works in the fields if her coterie is assigned to agriculture *There is no upward mobility in Mikaean society, as all work is based on communal responsibilities rather than individual choice, merit, or life goals *Mikaeans barter rice and food for services, as hard currency such as gold and silver are hoarded by patriarchs for trade between archons and other patriarchs *Only Mikaeans assigned to the role of merchants are permitted to keep precious metals for trade, though they are not permitted to use it for themselves *High-quality metals exist in vast quantities across the planet surface, and is relatively easy to reach allowing for considerably affordable metalwares *Steel production on Family Pride is highly advanced, with the dominance of blast furnaces and developed transportation nodes, allowing for high steel output *In terms of economic growth and its driving force, war and conquest are considered the engines of the economy is many respects, vast military-industrial complexes to support it *The concept of automation does not exist in Mikaean economics, and virtually everything in the economy is powered by physical labor to a massive extent, such as mills and factories *Corvée labor is utilized extensively throughout the economy, and the duty of all Mikaeans to perform; all public works on Family Pride constructed through the use of such labor